Under the bright moonlight, young Neji raised his head, trying to see through the mask to the face behind it.
Before they knew it, it was already late at night. In the heart of the Hyuga Main House, the current head of the Hyuga Clan, was also the protagonist of this birthday celebration.
Hyuga Hiashi a busy day, Hyuga Hiashi felt a slight fatigue.
' Hizashi and Neji didn't show up, which shows they still harbor hostility towards the Main Family. The conflict between the branch family and the Main Family has reached an irreconcilable point, and in the end, they can only rely on the Caged Bird Seal.'
Immersed in sorrow and hesitation, Hiashi was about to return when a premonition honed by years of battlefield experience made the veins around his eyes bulge.
" Byakugan!"
It was late at night, a time when all should be quiet and everyone should be asleep, when a furtive shadow slipped out from the heart of the Hyuga.
Its direction was directly toward his Hyuga Hinata's, bedroom.
'There's a thief secretly spying on Byakugan...'
Hyuga Hiashi's face was cold and sinister. He had secretly kidnapped the eldest daughter of the Main Family, which was a provocation against the Hyuga's bottom line. No matter who the kidnapper was, they would have to pay with their lives.
Not far ahead, the leader of the Kumogakure envoy group, whose face was concealed, was secretly pleased. The Hyuga Clan had been living in comfort for too long and didn't even have the most basic sense of vigilance.
This time, capturing the bloodline of the Hyuga Main House and obtaining the Byakugan is worth it, even if it means temporarily breaking ties with Konoha.
' Konoha's Anbu are useless; no wonder rogue ninja like Orochimaru appear. Take this opportunity to escape Konoha. Success is achieved as long as we return to the Land of Land of Lightning.'
In his excitement, the leader of the Kumogakure Envoy Group revealed a slight flaw, and this flaw was magnified infinitely by the sudden figure in front of him.
' Hyuga Hiashi!'
"You thief, die!"
In the rush, Kunai swing his kunai, Hyuga Hiashi's figure was already close by, and with Gentle Fist, he struck Hiashi's heart meridian, causing him to fall to the ground, lifeless.
On the other side, the three Konoha Anbu who were confronting the figure and trying to capture him alive suddenly narrowed their eyes as the figure that was constantly stalling for time turned into lightning and disappeared.
"Damn it, it was so close..."
"Lightning Release: Shadow Clone. This is bad! Quickly inform the Third Hokage! What exactly are these guys from Kumogakure trying to do?"
The leader of the Anbu was ashen-faced. They had been completely outmaneuvered by a Shadow Clone clone. He regretted making the wrong judgment and should have severed the Shadow Clone's arm earlier.
At this Hyuga Clan's territory, the Hyuga clan members, having received the warning, rushed over.
When the branch family saw the unconscious Hinata and the thief lying on the ground, they knew things were going badly.
The thieves not only secretly infiltrated the Hyuga Main House's territory, but also kidnapped the young lady. If it weren't for the clan leader's intervention, the Hyuga Clan's Byakugan might have fallen into the hands of others.
" Hiashi, what exactly happened?"
"Damn thieves! How dare they sneak into our clan's territory! I'll see who they are!"
The Hyuga Elder rushed over and, after just one glance, roughly deduced the situation. He angrily ripped off the black cloth covering the face.
"This!?"
"It's actually the leader of the envoys from Kumogakure!"
The Hyuga Clan members nearby realized the seriousness of the situation. Hyuga Hiashi immediately stood up from the ground, approached the corpse of the Kumogakure envoy leader, and looked grim.
"No wonder, no wonder he was smug for a moment after realizing it was me. He fell for the trap."
A moment later, Sarutobi Hiruzen arrived with a group of Anbu. He looked at the Kumogakure leader who had died from Gentle Fist, his old face wrinkled and his expression gloomy.
The following morning, after carefully examining the cause of their leader's death, the Kumogakure delegation launched a preemptive strike against Konoha.
The delegation, citing Konoha's unwillingness to achieve peace with Kumogakure and the brutal killing of the envoys within Konoha, began to exert significant pressure on Konoha.
The Third Hokage and his two Hokage Advisor, seasoned in politics, directly pointed out that the Kumogakure Village, under the guise of peace, was actually pursuing the Hyuga Clan's Kekkei Genkai.
The council meeting ended in discord, and before leaving, the Kumogakure faction even clamored that Konoha should prepare for war.
The Hokage Office Building, inside the conference room.
"Following a vote by the Konoha Jonin, the majority of them still do not want to start a war rashly, while a small minority have expressed their willingness to go to war..."
Mitokado Homura reviewed the opinions of many Jonin and gave a specific answer. Utatane Koharu had expected this and sighed softly.
"Alas, the rarer the Kekkei Genkai, the more people want to obtain it. If the strategic significance and reconnaissance capabilities of the Byakugan fall outside the village, the consequences will be unimaginable."
Now that things have come to this point, and it concerns the Hyuga Clan, the problem cannot be entirely left to the village. The Hyuga Clan must take responsibility, and that is what Utatane Koharu means.
"That's enough. The Kumogakure Village also has excellent strategists. They don't care about getting the Byakugan. They just want to take advantage of Minato's death to start a war."
Sarutobi Hiruzen and left. Seeing his attitude, it seemed that the three years of peace in Konoha would disappear again at this moment.
"What a vicious scheme! We have no choice but to prepare for war with all our might..."
Thump! Thump! Thump!
The conference room door opened slowly, Hyuga Clan ninja bowed respectfully.
"My lord, the patriarch and the clan elders would like to invite you to the clan. The clan elder knows the village's troubles and has a way to avoid this conflict and war."
Upon hearing this, Sarutobi Hiruzen was quite surprised. Could it be that the elders of the Hyuga Clan really had a way to avoid fighting and prevent this event from becoming the fuse for the Fourth Great Ninja War?
Late at night, with the candlelight flickering, the Hyuga Main House gathered together, most of them looking unwell.
"I am deeply sorry for the trouble this has caused."
Hiashi bowed his head in apology, but Kumogakure Sarutobi Hiruzen waved his hand, saying that Kumogakure was here for war, and it didn't matter whether the Hyuga Clan was there or not.
"No need for further words. Regardless of the circumstances, we must hand over the bodies of our comrades to quell the war. Konoha has not fallen to such a low level."
With a solemn tone, and after his words, many Hyuga Clan were even more convinced of the Third Hokage's sincerity.
"There's no need for such trouble, Third Hokage. Since Kumogakure wants it, then let's just give it to them."
The Hyuga Elder hurried over. Hiashi raised his head and looked at the figure behind the elder, a sense of foreboding rising in his heart.
What are you doing here?
"Alright, Hiashi, the fate of the Hyuga Branch House is to protect the Byakugan. Even if we follow the rules and show Konoha's attitude to Kumogakure, we must not show any weakness!"
"Let Hizashi die in your Hizashi. This shows Konoha's attitude and gives Kumogakure a reasonable answer."
The Hyuga Elder spoke in a serious tone, and after a brief moment of confusion, Hizashi Hyuga's eyes finally turned to relief.
In the end, having failed to gain freedom, I can only choose how I die. I'm sorry, Neji, I won't be able to see you grow up.
"Father! You bastards, what are you trying to force me to do?!"